Pitt Tells Abstinence Group Not to Gather

The Pittsburgh Anscombe Society was told that they were not allowed to hand out material in a University of Pittsburgh dormitory lobby on Monday. The abstinence group was in Towers, a dorm located near a safe-sex expo sponsored by a peer health education program called, "PantherWELL."

Pitt says that since Anscombe was not yet a recognized student group, and they did not reserve the student-filled area for their activities, they were told to leave. Pitt released a statement on Thursday saying that the University has the ability to, "schedule certain buildings for the use of University departments and certified student groups. From February 7 to February 11, PantherWELL had already scheduled the use of Towers lobby area."

In regards to certification, the Dean of Pitt students, Kathy Humphrey, says in the statement "Anscombe has agreed to work with us to ensure that its important message and voices are heard. Anscombe has now completed the application process of becoming a certified student organization, and we anticipate certification happening in the near future."

Also noted in the statement, "Once this group is certified, it will be eligible to apply for the use of University space."